"Very well. If I don't let you see it with your own eyes, you'll never give up your stubborn hopes." With a wave of the young girl's hands, another vision materialized before Wei Yuan.
Within the projection, a crowd knelt in worship before a statue.
Yet moss grew over the upper portion of the statue, left entirely uncleaned. Evidently, these believers were few in number and far from devoted.
Wei Yuan found the statue faintly familiar. Then it struck him—wasn't that the very statue of the Creation Immortal Venerable he had erected in Qingming?
Seeing the measly few dozen worshippers kneeling before it, Wei Yuan felt an instant flare of outrage. How had his flock dwindled to so pitiful a few?
When had this happened? Had mortals lost all sense of reverence? It seemed only thunderbolts and violent storms could jog their memories and wake them to reality!
And moss had actually dared to grow upon the statue of the Creation Immortal Venerable?!
Granted, the emergence of moss in that realm was a splendid thing, but Wei Yuan certainly did not want it growing on his own shoulders. Fortunately, none had sprouted atop his head, or he would have visited several heavenly lightning bolts upon the mortal world regardless of the cost.
In truth, the statue of the Creation Immortal Venerable bore no resemblance to Wei Yuan himself. What the idol looked like had never affected the people's devotion.
As Wei Yuan watched in vexation, a mob suddenly rushed over. The man at their head pointed at the idol and barked, "Someone here dare impersonate the Creation Immortal Venerable! What brazen insolence! Today, I shall teach you all the true might of the real Immortal Venerable!"
As he spoke, he dashed before the statue and hurled a massive basin of black dog's blood squarely against it!
Wei Yuan's vision blurred. A fraction of his divine sense originating from the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World was severed.
Wei Yuan found it hard to believe. "He belongs to you as well?"
"He isn't actually human, but a Shaman who looks like one. He infiltrated Qingming to commit suicide and successfully reincarnated within the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World. Over the years, we cast more than five hundred such Shamans into the cycle; several dozen ultimately succeeded."
Wei Yuan was taken aback. He had originally thought the reincarnation of Shamans and the Liao Clan into the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World was a boon. He had never imagined that so long ago, he had already fallen into an immortal's calculations, with grains of sand covertly slipped into his foundation.
With a self-deprecating smile, Wei Yuan said, "Senior's foresight is truly profound; this junior is full of admiration. Only, these measures alone are still not enough."
"Do not fret. Keep watching."
The scene shifted to reveal a human girl holding a crudely carved stone toad in her hands. At the sight of it, Wei Yuan's gaze darkened.
Some time ago, mortals in the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World had unearthed this stone toad from beneath the earth and hailed it as a divine omen. A crowd had banded together, revering the toad as their lord and raising the slogan, *The Immortal Heaven is dead; the Toad Heaven shall rise!* They had sought to displace Wei Yuan and take his place.
At the time, Wei Yuan had merely sneered. Naturally, those mortals could not have known about his past life as a toad; they truly believed that by kicking out the Creation Immortal Venerable, they could swap the heavens above their heads.
The colossal idol they worshipped was something the mortals had carved themselves later on. The true stone toad was merely palm-sized, a spiritual object born naturally of the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World.
This stone toad was certainly anything but ordinary, yet how had it ended up in the hands of this little girl?
The young girl in the vision suddenly offered Wei Yuan a smile and began digging into the soil, evidently intending to bury the stone toad. For reasons he could not fathom, watching her movements sent an inexplicable pang of unease through Wei Yuan's heart.
Paying Wei Yuan no further heed, the girl continued to dig the pit.
Just then, a group of people ran past, carrying an object wrapped in black cloth. Spotting the young girl, they paused in surprise and called out, "Why are you digging here too?"
"I'm preparing to bury something," the girl answered. "Did you dig something up?"
The man at the front lifted a corner of the black cloth, revealing a one-eyed stone man. "We accidentally dug this up. Little girl, this is a spiritual ground where treasures surface all the time. Don't go burying things carelessly!"
The girl pointed at the stone toad. "I'm only burying something very, very small."
The man glanced at the stone toad, nodded, and hurried off with the others.
Once they had drifted far enough, the girl lifted the stone toad, outstretched both arms, and let go. The stone toad dropped squarely into the center of the pit.
Wei Yuan felt as though a sheer veil had been draped over his upper torso, severing his final strand of connection to the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World.
Within the lunar lake, the young girl asked, "Can we leave now?"
Wei Yuan did not turn his head, yet he knew the toad behind him had vanished. Even so, he shook his head and replied, "Still not enough."
The girl sneered. "Are you bluffing?"
"Whether I am bluffing or not," Wei Yuan said, "wouldn't Senior know with a single attempt to move me?"
The girl stepped directly before Wei Yuan. She slowly reached out a hand, her gaze locked onto his eyes.
Wei Yuan remained calm and composed, showing neither panic nor hesitation.
***
High above, in Immortal Heaven.
Immortal Monarch Yanshi gently flicked his immortal sword. The three immortals before him retreated a step in unison, seemingly disinclined to risk their lives in battle.
At that moment, a scholar strode out of the void, his righteous aura soaring to the heavens. In a deep voice, he said, "Yanshi, why must swords be drawn and bows bent like this? It will only harm our harmony."
At the newcomer's arrival, Yanshi's gaze focused, and he said slowly, "Master Gu? Leaving the Four Sages Academy unattended, you ran over here as well? You possess great virtue and prestige, but if you have a hand in today's affair, it seems our Patriarch's final immortal sword cannot be spared after all."
Master Gu had presided over the Four Sages Academy for barely a century, but he had attained immortality over three thousand years ago, an immortal from the founding era of the Great Tang. In terms of sheer immortal force, he held a distinct advantage over Yanshi.
Master Gu said, "For today's matter, not only have I come, but several other fellow immortals have arrived as well. You have only just ascended, and there are things we have not yet had time to tell you. Today happens to be the proper occasion to speak of them."
Yanshi grew calm instead. "A mere Wei Yuan has disturbed so many immortals. This is truly a grand event rarely seen in Immortal Heaven for ages. Whichever True Immortals have arrived, you might as well show yourselves."
Three more figures emerged: a middle-aged man clad in royal robes, a dignified elder, and a cultivator with features as exquisite as a painting, whose gender was impossible to discern.
Yanshi glanced across them one by one, sneering. "The Southern Qi Li family, the Wu-Yue Bao family, and the Xiao family... Half the prominent clans have arrived. Impressive! And with the Four Sages Academy added on top—heh, do you all intend to tell me this is the greater picture of the mortal world?"
Master Gu said, "Calm yourself. Let me explain the reasons behind this. Once you understand the origins, it will not be too late to make your decision."
"Very well. Speak."
Master Gu frowned faintly. As a junior in the immortal realm, Yanshi no longer showed any respect in his speech, which displeased him considerably.
Yet he glanced at the immortal sword in Yanshi's hand and suppressed his temper, saying, "This time, Wei Yuan established the Yellow Springs Grotto-Heaven without sanction, severing the cycle of reincarnation in a portion of heaven and earth and leaving the Ancestral Shaman's Heavenly Dao flawed. The Shamans' terms are simple: if we abandon Wei Yuan, then in return, the First Heavenly Shaman will act to help us crack the Martial Ancestor's gambit."
Yanshi was taken aback. "The Shamans can break the Martial Ancestor's gambit?"
"Not completely, but it will advance our efforts by a tremendous step, ensuring that what the Martial Ancestor left behind is no longer an unsolvable game."
Yanshi scoffed. "And you believe the words of the Shamans?"
"This is an oath sworn by the Ancestral Shaman upon his own Heavenly Dao; it cannot be faked. The First Heavenly Shaman contended with the Martial Ancestor for centuries and knows his methods better than anyone. With his intervention, a flaw can certainly be carved into an otherwise inescapable trap!"
A touch of earnestness entered Master Gu's voice. "The gambit laid by the Martial Ancestor is too absolute, too vicious. It severed all avenues of retreat, trapping the entire mortal world inside without leaving behind even the single path of escape that heaven accords all things! What sense is there in such a state of affairs? Yanshi, for us, this is the difference between possessing hope and having none! Otherwise, what do you think could have disturbed so many fellow immortals?"
Yanshi looked around and said, "The Sword Palace did not come, nor did the Great Baohua Pure Land. Yet the Four Sages Academy, which had the least reason to come, has arrived."
Master Gu frowned. "Why shouldn't my Four Sages Academy come?"
"I, Yanshi, am merely an unattached wanderer, bound by no constraints; it would be one thing if I wished to break the game. But you, Master Gu, are a man of letters! The Martial Ancestor enfeoffed the nine kingdoms, stood as the co-ruler of all under heaven, and was universally recognized as the sovereign of men. Now you seek to break his gambit—where, then, does the 'ruler' stand in your 'Heaven, Earth, Ruler, Kin, and Teacher'? How do you write the word 'loyalty' in being whole in both loyalty and filial piety?"
Master Gu said placidly, "The people are of supreme importance, the altars of the soil and grain come second, and the sovereign is the least."
Yanshi sneered. "When convenient, it is 'Heaven, Earth, Ruler, Kin, and Teacher'; when inconvenient, the sovereign is the least. Scholars truly have formidable mouths, spinning words however they please."
Master Gu replied candidly, "Who asked for the brush to be in my hand?"
Yanshi sighed and looked toward the man in royal robes. "Li Daoyan, your Southern Qi royal throne has stood unshakable through countless tribulations, all thanks to the Martial Ancestor's decree. Why have you come as well?"
Li Daoyan, dressed in royal robes, said indifferently, "I ruled with diligence and vigor. While I dare not claim parity with the Grand Ancestor of Great Tang, I was not far behind. Yet so long as the Martial Ancestor's gambit remains unbroken, the nine royal thrones will never change. At most, a kingdom gains or loses a bit of territory—what meaning is there in that? Those upon the throne cannot attain longevity, and generation after generation, mediocre and incompetent fools usurp high positions.
"Back then, I abandoned the throne to cultivate the immortal path, and in less than five hundred years, did I not achieve immortality? Were it not for the Martial Ancestor's arrangement, I might have unified the realm long ago, and today would not be Great Tang, but Great Xia. You speak of the Martial Ancestor as the sovereign of men, but how did the Grand Ancestor's Great Tang come to be? Was it not also by supplanting the dynasty before it?"
Yanshi paused. "Wait, if you had unified the realm, shouldn't your dynastic title have been Great Qi?"
"Qi was bestowed by the Martial Ancestor. It is the title of a household servant."
Yanshi nodded.
Master Gu said, "Now that you understand the reasons, do you still intend to obstruct us? Once Wei Yuan is surrendered, everything in Qingming will remain unchanged; only the Yellow Springs Grotto-Heaven needs to be sealed. Furthermore, you may select one junior disciple from each family present to be inducted into the Palace of Grand Beginning. Are you satisfied with such compensation? If it is still not enough, I can impart my own Dao path to the Palace of Grand Beginning, adding a study pavilion to your sect."
Yanshi suddenly asked, "What exactly is the Martial Ancestor's gambit?"
Master Gu was stunned. All the immortals present were stunned.
After a moment, Li Daoyan sighed and gave a bitter smile. "This arrangement completely severed karma; it cannot be spoken of, nor touched. The moment the gambit took shape, every single immortal of our generation forgot it entirely. Not a single word of its specifics can be recalled. Had we known even a phrase or a fragment, we would not have spent the past thousand years in such despair.
"From that moment on, we immortals were bound to this realm, unable to break free. If not for the Shamans needing something and coming to our door, who knows how much longer we would have remained immortals trapped within the game."
Master Gu said slowly, "Yanshi, now you know the cause and effect. So long as you step back behind your courtyard gate, the promises made just now will hold, and the immortal cultivation seeds of every family will be yours to choose from."
Yanshi gently stroked the immortal sword in his hand. The eyes of the immortals blurred, and they realized that the single sword in his grip had suddenly become two!
The immortals' expressions shifted!
Immortal Monarch Yanshi's long hair rose without wind. In a deep voice, he declared, "I care nothing for your greater picture, nor do I care to weigh what is heavy and what is light! We who cultivate immortality should rely solely on self-reliance, seeking nothing from outside! Whoever wishes to break the game, break it with your own abilities; I, Yanshi, will never stand in your way. But if you wish to trade Wei Yuan for an opportunity to break it, dream on!
"You only know the Shamans are ruthless. Today, I shall let you know that I, Yanshi, can slay immortals just as well!"
Master Gu sighed. "Then there is no other way; let heaven decide. Between your two swords, one is reserved for me, is it not? It happens that I, too, would like to witness the splendor of the founding patriarch of the foremost immortal sect."
"Wait!" an old woman, white-haired and decrepit with age, suddenly appeared.
The moment he saw her, the dignified man of the Bao family turned pale with fright and rushed forward to support her. "Old Ancestress, why have you come? You cannot leave seclusion right now!"
The old woman suddenly raised her cane and struck him on the head! The man instantly shattered into pieces, but promptly pieced himself back together, his aura inevitably diminished.
Not daring to resist, he said, "Old Ancestress, please calm your anger first; let us speak properly. If you wish to teach me a lesson, your grandson will strike himself. We cannot waste your immortal force!"
The old woman snapped, "If this old woman didn't come out, you would have botched things again! The Martial Ancestor possessed heaven-shaking brilliance; why are you joining in the commotion over a game he arranged? Do you think you're something extraordinary, capable of arm-wrestling with the Martial Ancestor? Why must you stick your neck out? Even if the sky falls, aren't there still six other families to hold it up?
"What is more, that Wei Yuan is girl Yun's husband, which makes him the grandson-in-law of my Bao family! What do you think you're doing here? Back then, giving away Immortal Lord Qingkong wasn't enough, and now you want to give away a Cloud Immortal Lord as well?
"Little Yanshi, am I right or not?"
Immortal Monarch Yanshi stared in disbelief, his mind frantically calculating the age and seniority of this Bao family matriarch. Strictly speaking, even Immortal Lord Qingkong would likely have had to address her as Old Ancestress back then. Had she not suddenly appeared today, everyone would have assumed she had long since passed away.
Hearing her question turned on him, Yanshi suddenly realized that this Bao family Old Ancestress seemed to be on his side.
Without hesitation, Yanshi answered, "Precisely so."
The old woman beamed instantly. "Hearing you say that means this old woman hasn't come in vain! This treasure has accompanied me for more than seven thousand years. It can just barely vie with the First Heavenly Shaman. I'll use it to alter a junior's fate."
She slipped a jade bracelet from her wrist and casually tossed it into the void.
The Bao family man was gripped by frantic urgency, managing only to cry out, "Old Ancestress, you mustn't!" But he could only watch helplessly as that world-renowned immortal treasure vanished into the void.
Yet at that very instant, a sudden change occurred. All the immortals present sensed in an instant that Wei Yuan had risen to his feet on his own and walked away with Huiye!
Cui Zhengxing breathed a sigh of relief. "Fortunately, it was exile rather than obliteration. This immortal treasure truly..."
Halfway through his sentence, he abruptly froze.
In truth, there had been an infinitesimal discrepancy in time: Wei Yuan's exile had occurred first, and only afterward had the immortal treasure, the Taixu Xuanji Ring, plunged into the void.
Chapter 865